The Ancient Pact
by Me'asalka
Summary: Tsunade accepts a job from the Outside. How will this assignment differ from the rest? With this new girl, anything is possible! And how did the Suna siblings get involved? Read to find out. pairings to be posted. Not a NejiGaara, POSSIBLE NejiOCGaara
1. Prologue

Hello fan fiction lovers! I am a new member and this is the first story that I have posted. I am a little nervous about this, but I decided what the hell. This fic will have some bad language in it. Not too much, but some. I hope you don't get too offended. This first chapter is more to explain the settings as the story begins more than anything, so bare with me. I am making changes in history to suit my tastes, so don't take this as anything but creative license. 

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT IS RECOGNIZABLE! All I own is some books, incense with burners, this crappy computer, and 8 cats. So you wouldn't get anything if you did sue.

Prologue

* * *

The year is 1394. In the ocean space off on the Japanese Islands lay another continent, one now forgotten. The barrier between this world and the next is weakest here. Youkai, or demons in the West, run free. Priests, priestess, monks, mikos, samurai, and shinobi battle with the youkai, hoping to keep them at bay. For more than 200 years, they are successful. But then, the worst happened. A huge battle lasting six days and five nights took place. As the sixth night came upon them, the humans that did battle were slain. Few remained to tell the tale of the battle. News of the battle reached all the way to the West. Many European noble families ordered their men to be ready for an attack at any time. Others, however, made ready their ships and set sail for the Shinobi Continent. Some led their men themselves, others had their son lead their army.

As the Westerners arrived, it was discovered that there was a way to seal the breaking barrier, but at a high cost. Another year of battles would come and go before a plan was put into action. One family sent their most powerful priestess in order for the spell to be a success. The family she served was desperate enough to ensure her safety that they were willing to pay anything. So when she arrived, a powerful shinobi by the name Yoshiro, was assigned to guard her by any means necessary. As the fighting continued, the priestess, Kira, always had Yoshiro nearby. She started to speak to him, and him to her. He spoke of his family and duty. She told him of her own life. She spoke her brother, his then deceased wife, and their sons, whom she had helped raise. She told him that the two boys were so close to her that she considered them her own, even though she had never bared children. He listened on quietly as she spoke, just as she had for him. As the day for the action came closer, Kira confided in Yoshiro one last time.

"Yoshiro-san, I know I won't live thru this. I just know that all of those sealing the barrier will die in the process," Kira said to the man.

"You are just nervous. Don't think like that. You will all be fine," he soothed.

"No. There's no denying the truth now, but I have one last favor to ask of you, my friend." She walked over to the desk, opened a draw and took out a what appeared to be letters. "Please, once the ceremony has been complete, give these to General Cassius. He will know what to do with them."

"They are for your family, are they not?" he questioned.

"Yes, they are," she replied softly.

Yoshiro did not take them. "You will not die. You will see your family again. There is no need for this," he said forcefully.

"Yoshiro-san..."

"No. Do not start that. You will be fine, and for the last time, Kira-sama, call me Yoshiro."

"And how many times do I have to tell you it is Kira," she said, walking up to him.

Yoshiro grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes. "Kira, then. You will make it back. I won't let you die. Not like this."

Kira looked into his eyes. "Yoshiro. You know of my gift of foresight. I have Seen it, and it will come to pass this time. I just hope everyone can forgive us all for dying like this." She paused. "But I did see one more thing."

"What did you See?" he asked letting his hands fall away.

"One of my brother's son's will have the power to correct what is done wrong in this ceremony, but she will go thru much toil, and may never find the Shinobi Continent, if things go as I Saw," she told her protector.

Yoshiro stared at her. "If any of my descendants remain when this girl is born, they will find and bring her here. This I promise. I may not be able to have you, but our descendant will meet and save each other's worlds, and the lives' that the other cares about."

"Do you mean that?" she asked him.

"Yes."

"Would you be will to swear in blood upon this pendant? I will place a spell on it, so that when the time comes, my descendant will recognize your's, and when she tells your's, they will recognize her."

"I would." With his words, she cut both their palms and placed them over a wadjet, or Eye of Ra, pendant. She said an incantation and the Eye glowed. "Where did you get this?" he asked when the glow faded.

"It has been passed down to the females in my family for generations. For now, it will go to my brother's oldest son. When he has a daughter, it will go to her. Please, give this to the General as well," she requested.

Yoshiro sighed. "I will. You needn't worry about anything. If you die, I'll make sure your family gets these."

Kira smiled. "Thank you, my friend."

The next day, 100 priests, priestess, monks, and mikos gathered at the center of the Shinobi Continent, and from there recited an old Egyptian spell. In the end, it took the efforts of them all, and their lives as well. The spell not only sealed the crake in the barrier, but made the Continent invisible to the outside eye. Much to the dismay of everyone, nine demons managed to stay on this world.

Yoshiro kept his promise and gave the letters to the General, who in turn, gave them to her family. Yoshiro would later die in a mission, but the story of his promise to the Outside priestess would travel down thru his descendants. The closed themselves off mostly after the foreign armies left, and most of the Outside would only think of the Shinobi Continent as legend. The only ones that would know that it was real was the descendants of the men and women who fought and died there.

For 412 years, the Shinobi Continent had little interaction with the outside world. But in the year 2007, all of that, would change forever.

* * *

So, what do you think? I should have one or two more chapters up soon. Well, review!!!


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT IS RECOGNIZABLE! All I own is some books, incense with burners, this crappy computer, and 8 cats. So you wouldn't get anything if you did sue. My muse has been generous lately. And no, I really don't know where this is going. It's taken on a life of it's own, so it'll go how it wants to. I switch between using Japanese and not using it so don't be to mad. So here's the next chapter.  
Okay. I tweaked the ages some so the story could go right. This takes place after the Chuunin exam, before Sasuke is taken and also before Shikamaru is promoted to Chunin as well. The Rookie 9 and Gaara - 15 Team Gai and Temari - 16 Kankuro - 17 Kuraani - 25 Kakashi, Gai, Asuma - 26 Jiraiya, Tsunade - 58 

Chapter 1

* * *

#Hokage Tower#  
"Okay, Naruto, why did you ask us to come here?" Sakura asked her blonde teammate.

"I didn't, I just did what Tsunade told me too," Naruto replied.

The Rookie 9, Team Gai, and their sensei's all waited in Tsunade's office. A few minutes later, Tsunade entered the room with Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Jiraiya following. "Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro are going to help you with this next mission as a sign of good faith between the Hidden Leaf and Sand Villages. I'm sending more people than would normally be needed, but he's paying enough for all of you and this mission should be easy."

"What exactly is the mission and who is our employer?" Sasuke asked coolly.

Tsunade looked at the Uchiha. "The employer is an Outsider by the name of Joseph Volpendesta, But you won't be dealing with him. You'll be dealing with his former son-in-law, Charles Lamb."

"Why Lamb-san?" Ino asked politely.

Tsunade sat down and looked at the group. "Our employer is concerned about his granddaughter who lives with her father." She picked up a folder and pulled out a picture. She hande3d Ino the photo and let it be passed around. "Miss Samantha Lamb. Recently turned 16 years of age. Also recently released from the care of doctors after a near fatal wound." She took the picture back from Neji.

"How did she get injured?" Hinata asked quickly.

"Why would someone want to hurt her? She doesn't look important," Kiba said.

Tsunade looked at the picture again. A teenage girl with should length hair and blue-green eyes was talking to a teenage boy with brown hair and eyes. "Some boys that were in her class were the ones that injured her. As to why, they think it best if the girl or her father tells you."

'Such sadness in her eyes,' Kakashi thought.

"When was this photograph taken?" Kurenai asked.

"About four days before she disappeared. She turned up three days after she vanished, apparently bleeding heavily from her neck and chest. Any other details on the incident will be given to you once you arrive. Like I said before, for all of you, this should be easy. It's just a bodyguard assignment after all. Don't kill unless it's absolutely necessary and be ready to defend the reason why you killed. The way of life of the shinobi is not well known on the Outside, so for the most part you will be expected to play the role of a civilian." She was met with nods. "Good. Now, a house has been arranged for you to stay in while you do your job."

"What of the girl? How can we protect her if we are not staying in the same place as her?" Neji asked.

Tsunade smiled. "Lamb-san will inform you of possible arrangements when you get there."

"Okay, if this assignment is for us, then why is Pervy Sage here?" Naruto asked pointing to Jiraiya.

"Kid, stop calling me that," Jiraiya said. "I, unlike all of you, have met both the client and the girl. Though I don't think they wanted us to meet her when we did," he continued looking at Tsunade.

"Neither do I," she agreed.

"What do you mean, Hokage-sama?" Gai asked.

"It seemed as though her father and grandfather weren't going to tell her of this until you arrived, but she arrived at the end of our dealings and we introduced ourselves. She seemed to understand why they are doing this, but didn't seem very happy about it."

Jiraiya picked up there. "Her father and grandfather didn't seem to notice she was hiding her displeasure. The girl's nice enough, I just don't think she likes the fact the twenty people she doesn't know are going to be watching over her. I don't think anyone in her position would be happy, not after what those boys did to her, and she KNEW them."

"What did they do to her?" Neji asked glaring at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya looked at the Hyuuga. Tsunade glared daggers at him. "We weren't supposed to tell you that, but I guess now we'll have too." Tsunade pulled out another photo. "This was taken before she was released into her father's care," she said as she handed it to Neji.

Neji's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the photo. "What is it, Neji?" Tenten asked and looked over his shoulder. She gasped and brought her hand over her mouth. The worked at the bottom identified it as the right side of her neck. Most of the skin was a raw red color. In the middle of her neck was a strange burn mark that was identified as a cross at the bottom. Neji put up a blank mask and passed the picture on.

When the picture was back in Tsunade's hands, all the genin were showing varying degrees of shock, sadness, and anger. Even Gaara looked angry at the thought of the wound. "That is the neck wound. Her other wounds include cuts around her wrists and ankles from the wire she was bound with and a bullet wound to the left side of her chest that barely missed her heart. Lamb-san will give you a full explanation on the types of weapons used and show you types that were used to try and kill his daughter." Tsunade looked at them gravely. "This goes beyond a failed murder attempt, as the wounds can attest. Apparently, they thought there would be a chance, though small, that she would live and branded her BEFORE they shot her. You all will be her bodyguards until she is sent to live with other relatives, but..."

"But, what?" Kakashi asked.

Tsunade sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Miss Lamb and a boy named Larry Madison are the ONLY two people who can, and are willing, to testify in trial against the other six boys. The only problem with just Madison-san testifying is that he is being charged as being an accessory to attempted murder."

"Wait a minute. He helped do this to her, and he's going to go against the others?" Asuma asked. "Why would he go against his partners?"

Jiraiya answered, "He says he never wanted a part in the whole thing. He said, and the girl confirmed it, that he treated her injuries as best as he could and took care of her while she was held against her will, but he didn't do anything to stop it. The boy claimed he did it to save his younger siblings, but who knows." He shrugged.

"In any case, this is a long tern mission and you have until three tomorrow afternoon to get ready. Be here at 3:00 o'clock sharp, and NOBODY had better be LATE," she told them, glaring at Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled nervously. The ninja all left, leaving Tsunade and Jiraiya alone. "Do you really think we can keep this girl safe?" he asked his old teammate.

"Her body will make it through the ordeal," she replied.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. You saw the look in her eyes. She's almost completely given up hope. Her mind may finally snap before the trial. You heard what her father said. I'm surprised she's lasted this long," Jiraiya commented.

"Maybe these shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and Sand can help save her mind as well, but that's not all I'm worried over," Tsunade said. "Her father mentioned that she and her brother were taken in him and his wife years ago. He's worried about her finding out. Lamb-san feels that she would break if she found out now."

Jiraiya stared at her. "He's kept it form her for this long?"

"So he thinks."

"You don't think he has."

"No, I don't. The girl is smart. It's more than possible that she knows. Now go do what you have too. You know I'm sending you as well, and I want you here at least an hour before them to go over a few more things," Tsunade said.

"Right," Jiraiya said and leapt out the window. Neither noticed the shinobi walking away from the door.

* * *

Cliffie,huh? Sorry, I couldn't resist. The next chapter should be up in the next few days. REVIEW!  
Ja ne!


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT IS RECOGNIZABLE! All I own is some books, incense with burners, this crappy computer, and 8 cats. So you wouldn't get anything if you did sue. Sorry for any OOCness.  
Neko: She really doesn't own anything.  
Me'a: Thank you Neko-chan. Neko-chan is my muse so thank her for the story.  
Bob: Hey, what about me?  
Me'a: You hinder more than help.  
Bob: Why you.  
Me'a: (dodges knives) On with the show!!! 

Chapter 2

* * *

Four hours later, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai were waiting at the bridge for Kakashi when Hiashi Hyuuga appeared before them.

"Why did you accept this mission?" he asked suddenly.

Kurenai looked ready to answer when Chouza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, and Inoichi Yamanaka showed up. "We should wait for the other's to show up at least," Kurenai said.

Shibi Abruame, Tsume Inuzuka, and Hana Inuzuka appeared moments before Kakashi. "Yo."

"Where did you disappear to Kakashi?" Asuma asked.

"Well, I was going to ask the Hokage more about the girl, but I learned something far more valuable instead. I'll explain later. What are the rest of you doing here?" he questioned.

"They came to ask about our reasons for accepting this mission," Asuma replied.

"Well, it's not like we were given any chance to decline," Kakashi told them. "If you want to know more about the mission, ask Hokage-sama, but we will be going on this mission."

"But the Outside Kakashi? They should be giving this to higher rank shinobi, not genin. Surely you know how-" Hiashi started.

"I know how dangerous the Outside can be, as do all of you, Hyuuga-sama, but our genin are the only ones who can and will be allowed to do their assignment correctly once our charge goes back to her school. It's just a simple bodyguard assignment. Nothing more. These genin can handle this just fine," Kakashi told him.

Five hours later found them, plus Iruka Umino, Anko Mitarashi, and Ibiki Morino, at the Memorial Stone. Kurenai looked to the three others. "You all heard?" she asked.

"Yes, and why the Hokage would even THINK to allow the genin to do this is beyond me. Why not send more experienced shinobi?" Iruka voiced.

"You have to give them some credit," Ibiki said. "They were going to have to go on dangerous missions sooner or later. It's best to get it out of the way sooner, and going to the Outside should give them an idea of how things are done outside of our continent."

"I personally wish I could be going on this mission," Anko said with a smile. "I think they'll have a good time with this."

"Well, what's keeping YOU quiet Kakashi? You and your team are going, and one would think that you would have something to say about this," Iruka stated turning to face the jounin.

Kakasih looked at everyone gathered. "I think that information is being withheld from us. I'll be right back," he said and disappeared.

"Well that was odd," Asuma said after a moment.

Moments later, one of the ANBU appeared. "The Hokage wishes to speak with you. Now." He left them all staring at each other.

"That was even odder," he stated before heading to the tower with everyone following.

#Hokage Tower#  
Tsunade was at her desk when the others arrived. "It has came to my attention that all of you are wondering WHY I am sending the genin on this mission. Not only that but Kakashi, you feel I am withholding information?"

"Forgive us, Hokage-sama. We just-" Iruka started.

Tsunade sighed. "Do not apologize. I wasn't telling you everything earlier. Perhaps I should now, but NONE of this gets back to the genin. Do you understand?" she asked giving them a hard look.

"Yes ma'am," they all agreed, some more reluctantly then others.

Tsunade stood up and walked to the window. She stood silently, looking out said window, for a few moments. She glanced back at them. "You all know of the history of how our continent became unseen to the Outside except for those who know how to get here, correct?" They all nodded. "Well, my ancestors, as well as many of yours, made pacts with families on the Outside. The family that approached me with this mission is one such family. The family of Volpendesta and my family made a pact to help each other when called upon. Both families have honored that pact since it was made. I, as did my father, feel the need to honor that pact. While the girl does not hold the family's name, she is still of that family. The pact is not the only reason that we took this mission."

"What other reason could there be?" Hiashi asked.

Jiraiya answered him, "Lately, I have been hearing that the Akatsuki have heard of Jinchuuriki on what is called the North American continent. Another thing that I have heard is that these Jinchuuriki have all recently moved into a small area. No one is sure which Buijuu they are, but they are sure that they have yet to cause any kind of attention to themselves. I have to say though, little miss Samantha could be one of them."

"You think so too?" Tsunade asked.

"Wait. You are sending genin to PROTECT someone who could be a Jinchuuriki? Are you crazy?" Anko asked. "She could be unstable. You have no way of knowing what she's capable of."

"Weren't you just saying how much you wanted to go?" Asuma asked.

"Even if she is, she wouldn't know it," Tsunade said quietly. "Even if she did know it, she more than likely wouldn't try to hurt anyone. She can't even bring herself to hate the boys that try to KILL her, let alone people she doesn't know."

Jiraiya laughed. "She seemed like a quiet girl when we met her. Not only that, but the only reason that they called upon Tsunade is because this kid keeps giving all the bodyguards from the Outside the slip. They're not even sure how she keeps doing it, but I can't say that I blame her. Anyway, we're not even sure if she is one, so don't get up set. An added bonus is that she'll probably be nice to the genin because they are close to her age, and according to the father, she has a hard time making friends even when she tries. She'll probably be nice by default, but she would be nicer to people closer to her age because they could be possible friends."

Chouza, Shikaku, and Inoichi looked at each other, then smiled. Hana shook her head. Shibi nodded at the reasoning, and Tsume smirked. "Well, then I guess we just have to hope nothing goes wrong," Hiashi stated.

"Well, we had better go. We should go finish packing," Kurenai told them. She, Asuma, Jiraiya, and Kakashi left.

"Why not send more jounin, just in case?" Anko inquired.

"We can't afford to send more shinobi out for this. We need all of the higher up we can get to stay for now. If at anytime they need more jounin, you will all be the first to know. For now, just trust them to do what they have too," Tsunade replied.

The parents all nodded. After a moment Hana, Ibiki, Iruka, and Anko nodded as well. "You should go spend this time with them," she told the relatives. "Anko, Iruka, Ibiki, stay here for a moment." Chouza, Shikaku, Inoichi, Shibi, Tsume, and Hana left the office.

"What did you need us for, Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked.

"Iruka, I want you to take the next month and look for a suitable temporary replacement. Once you find one, tell me. You will be joining them once you decide on the replacement. DO NOT tell Naruto about this. Anko, Ibiki, what I need you to do is not what I would normally ask of you, but this is of great importance, and I trust you both to work together to get this done quickly. I want you to find out as much as you can about the Volpendesta's dealings and about the Darkseer family. I need this done as soon as possible. Keep a sharp lookout to see if the two families' dealing intertwine somewhere. Those are your new missions. Get going."

The three nodded and left her office. 'I wonder if what I am doing is the right thing,' she thought before pouring herself some sake. 'This is going to be a long night.'

#Gate of Konoha the next day, 12:00p.m#  
A young man looks up at the Gate. 'Good architecture,' he thought before walking up to the chuunin guards.

"Who are you and what business do you have here?" asked one of the guards.

The young man looked strait at him. "I am here to see the Hokage on business from the Outside. I was told to give this scroll to the guards and that it would explain everything," he replied handing the man a scroll.

The guard opened it then read it with his partner before nodding. "I'll take you to the Hokage," the second guard said. "I'll be back in a moment," he told his partner.

They made it to the Tower with no one seeing them. The guard bypassed Shizune and knocked on the door to Tsunade's office. A muffled 'Come in' was heard. "Hokage-sama, this man has come to-" the guard started.

"You may get back to your post now," she told the guard curtly.

"Y-yes ma'am!" he squeaked and left.

"So they sent you?"

"It would seem so, though WHY is a good question," the young man replied, amused.

"Well, we have at least two hours to kill. Would you like to update me on things?" she asked, equally amused.

"Of course," he said, and commenced telling her of what had happened since she left.

* * *

Well, this is interesting. Just who is the young man? What did the scroll say? And what is he updating Tsunade on? All these questions and more answered, next time!  
Neko: You didn't have to leave another cliffie, you know.  
Me'a: I'm kind of hoping for more reviews out of this one, because unless I get 5 reviews for this one, it'll be one cliffie after another.  
Bob: Oh, you're evil.  
Me'a: No I'm not. YOU are! where did you get those knives from anyway?  
Bob: The Internet.  
Me'a: That's it. You can't get on the computer without supervision anymore.  
Bob: NOOOOOOOOO!  
Me'a: I'm bad.  
Neko: Yes, you are. Okay, review please. For Me'a 's sanity.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT IS RECOGNIZABLE! All I own is some books, incense with burners, this crappy computer, and 8 cats. So you wouldn't get anything if you did sue. (So far, the spoken language is still in Japanese)  
Neko: Well, Me'a decided to be nice and go ahead and post this chapter.  
Me'a: Am I? Am I really nice? puppy eyes  
Bob: No.  
Me'a: watery eyes Neko-chan! Bob-san is being mean to me!  
Neko: Stop acting like children. Both of you.  
Me'a: okay.  
Bob: fine.  
Me'a: On with the show!!! 

Chapter 3

* * *

#Hokage Tower#  
Jiraiya entered Tsunade's office two hours later. "Okay, Tsunade, I'm here. Though I don't know why you wanted me here so….earl…ly….They sent HIM to come and get us?" Jiraiya said while staring at the young man.

"Yes, they sent him. Is there anything wrong with that Jiraiya?" Tsunade questioned with high amusement.

"I think he might try to sabotage us before we even get to the North American continent," Jiraiya muttered.

The young man laughed. "I won't Jiraiya-san. I had to promise to be on my best behavior while I picked up the shinobi, and so I shall keep my word. The one thing you need to worry about is if all of you can learn what you need to in the time given. Apparently, you all have to start only two days after arriving, and in that time, you have to be updated on how things are different there from on the Continent here. I hope all of you are ready for this."

"We'll do just fine," Jiraiya responded. "We shinobi are very, very good at adapting."

"Are you really?" the man asked with amusement.

"Yes."

"We'll just have to see how well you adapt this time then, won't we?"

"What are you proposing?"

"A bet."

"What are the details?"

"I bet you 22,204,000 yen that all of you DON'T learn everything you have too in the two days."

"So our shinobi get paid twice if we win?" Jiraiya asked with eyebrows raised. "What do you get if we lose?"

The man smiled. "You admit you were wrong, AND you allow someone else to say with you during this mission."

Tsunade turned to him. "If the girl says with them, she is NOT having a boyfriend stay as well."

"Not a boyfriend, though I admit he is a boy. His name is Nathan. He is very attached to Samantha and doesn't like to be away from her for long periods of time. He is only 6 years old. He gets to say with you if you lose."

Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade. "Alright, we have a deal then." He stuck out his hand.

"A deal," the young man agreed and firmly shook Jiraiya's hand. After the deal was made, they continued to talk until the appointed time came.

#Outside Tsunade's Office#  
"Hello, Shizune-san. Can we see Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked respectfully.

"Of course." Shizune stuck her head in the door. "Tsunade-sama, the teams are here."

"Let them in," Tsunade replied.

All of the shinobi entered and most looked curiously at the oddly dressed young man. "Does everyone understand English?" the young man asked suddenly with a slightly accented voice.

"Some. They taught it at the academy," Naruto replied.

"Good. That makes my job, and for you the coming days, a bit easier. My name is Robert Lamb, son of Charles and older brother of the girl you have been hired to guard," he told them.

"Let me introduce everyone. I'll use the English introduction for you. You already met Jiraiya and myself." Said man smirked at Robert. "I'll start with the senseis. You have here Kurenai Yuuhi, Gai Maito, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kakashi Hatake. The genin are as standing from left to right in this order: Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro, all from the Hidden Sand, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, InoYamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, Tenten, Neji Hyuuga, and Rock Lee, all from the Hidden Leaf."

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. So this is everyone then?" he asked.

"Yes, this is everyone," the Copy-Cat Nin replied. "If I may, how do you know our language so well?" he asked in return.

Robert chuckled. "I am a linguist of sorts. I know seven complete languages and parts of several others. She knows English, Spanish, French, German, Latin, passable Japanese, and what little of the ancient Egyptian language that our mother could teach her. She is working on her Chinese and Arabic, so she should be getting better with those two. Her Japanese has improved rapidly over the past week since she found out it was your native language." He shrugged. "Well, now that we're all here, we should get going then. It's a long way to the U.S. from here."

"U.S.?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. U.S. stands for the United States, which is short for United States of America, or USA," he replied. "We have to go to Wave, and catch our boat back to the U.S. Then, we will have an airplane waiting to take us to Texarkana, Texas from L.A. in California. The temporary home will be about an hour's drive away from Texarkana. The total trip time is supposed to be seven days or so."

Tsunade looked up at them. "Good luck." The shinobi nodded to their Hokage and left her office.

#Seven Days Later, Texarkana, Texas side# ("_blah_" is English)  
Little had happened since they had left Konoha. The trip went without incident, and they were now within 50 miles of their destination.

"Okay. We have to stay here for two more days. These three are senseis from my sister's school. They don't speak Japanese which was why I had asked if you all spoke English." He motioned to the people. "_This is Mrs. Monique Irwin, Mr. Tony Marracino, and Mr., or Coach, Steven Moore. They as well as myself are going to give you a two day crash course on what life here on the Outside is like. In one month's Time, on August 20, they will also be your senseis while you go to school to watch over my sister. I hope your ready for the next two days_, " he told them with a smirk

#Two Days of Hell later#  
While they learned most of what was taught, no one managed to learn everything. They all had a hard time writing and read some of English. They said goodbye to the teachers and left for the house that Robert had mentioned with him smirking.

By the time they reached the house, Robert was still smirking. He looked at Jiraiya after they got out of the car. "Well Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Alright. I was wrong! You happy?"

"Very much so. Nathan will arrive with my sister, and he should sleep either in a room near hers or in the same room. She seems to be the only one that can help with his nightmares. Now, as for the house," he started only to be interrupted.

"Wait, what was that about? Who else is staying here?" Kakashi asked.

"Jiraiya accepted a bet with me over whether or not you would all learn everything you needed to learn. He said you would, I said you wouldn't. He lost." He motioned to the house, which looked old, but also looked as though it had been worked on recently. "Now, the house is three stories high. The layout is this: first floor has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, living room, dining room, and a den; second floor has eight bedrooms and six bathrooms; the third floor has the same plans as the second. There's also a basement which has just been cleared out. The only other building on the property is a storage building around the back, but we haven't gotten around to cleaning that out yet." Robert sighed. "The number of rooms comes into play now," he muttered. "My father, in all his **wisdom**, has decided that Sam will be better protected staying here as you could have guess from what I said about Nathan. Decide the room arrangements with that in mind."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "You don't agree?"

Robert stared at him. "She my **younger** sister. I don't like the idea of her staying with one stranger, let alone twenty. Fourteen of which happen to guys. Forgive me if my instincts are telling me to hurt you instead of being nice about all of this."

Asuma, Gai, and Kakashi exchanged glances. "Do you think your sister **needs** bodyguards?"

Robert leaned against the car and snorted. "My father doesn't even know half of what she's capable of. For all the good it's done us over the years, he might as well have been dead. He was hardly around. He was always at work and only knew of what he directly asked us. Now he feels he can try and run both our lives? You can bet we rally weren't happy with this."

"Where is your sister, anyway?" Kurenai asked looking around.

"She's at a friend's house. We'll both be back in the morning. Just take tonight to rest and explore the grounds. Her four friends will probably come over in the morning, but if they do, they'll arrive with us. Anyway, I'll see all of you in the morning" He got in the car and left. The shinobi watched his car disappear into the trees before picking up their stuff and going inside.

"So now that we know who's in what room, we should go over any information that we have on this mission," Jiraiya said after they had settled in the living room. Everyone nodded their agreement.

"How about we start with what you and Tsunade-hime wouldn't tell us in Konoha?" Kakashi questioned.

"You overheard us," Jiraiya stated. Kakashi didn't reply.

Jiraiya sighed. "I guess I should start with the meeting…"

* * *

Me'a: Burn. This is where I will leave off this time.  
Neko: That was mean.  
Me'a: So?  
Bob: GO ME'A!!!  
Me'a: SHUT UP BOB AND GET BACK IN THE CLOSET!!!!!!!  
Neko: sigh Well Read and Review.

A/N: This is the room arraignments  
1st floor: Temari, Kakashi  
2nd floor: Gai, Shikamaru and Chouji, Naruto, Sakura and Ino, Jiraiya, Kankuro, Lee, Hinata  
3rd floor: Sasuke, Asuma, Tenten, Neji, Samantha, Gaara, Kiba and Shino, Kurenai

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT IS RECOGNIZABLE! I am using some characters from Fruits Basket in this chapter. I don't plan on using them later, just for the moment. All I own is some books, incense with burners, this crappy computer, and 8 cats. So you wouldn't get anything if you did sue. (So far, the spoken language is still in Japanese.)

Neko: Me'a is starting to get a little discouraged about posting.

Me'a: cowering in corner

Bob: A little?

Neko: Be quite Bob.

Me'a: sniffling I'm sorry. I just had lots of project due and semester exams. I meant to update earlier, but I just couldn't.

Neko: pats Me'a on back We know.

Bob: You should have posted anyway.

Neko and Me'a: SHUT UP BOB!!!!

On with the fic!

Chapter 4

* * *

_**Flashback**_

A black Santa Fe pulled up in front of an old mansion-like house. Two people stepped out and the Santa Fe pulled away. Jiraiya looked up at the house. "Interesting design, right?"

"I guess," Tsunade replied. She looked at the yard. "Well kept if nothing else at least."

"Are you even sure they speak Japanese, Tsunade? Our English is not the best in the world," he said seriously.

"We speak it well enough, and yes, I'm sure Jiraiya, Understand they are **traders**. If they say they know a language, they know it." Tsunade walked up to the house entrance with Jiraiya following.

Tsunade knocked on the door. A man in a butler's uniform answered the door. "_How may I help you?_" he asked politely.

"_We have a meeting with the master of the house,_" she replied in accented English.

"_Right this way, ma'am, sir._" He led them into the entrance way. He shut the door behind them and went to find his employer.

"Tsunade, I have a bad feeling about this."

"Don't worry. It'll be fine," Tsunade replied.

A bald middle age man walked into the hall. "Welcome. Am I correct to assume that you are the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade?" he greeted, addressing her with an accent.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes. I am. And this is my old friend and teammate, Jiraiya. Are you Joseph Volpendesto?"

The man chuckled. "It's **Volpendesta** and no. My name is Charles Lamb and Joe used to be my father-in-law."

"Forgive me then, for the mistaken identity and for mispronouncing his name."

Charles smiled. "Just about **everyone** has mispronounced that name at one point or another."

Jiraiya nodded. "So where is Volpendesta-san? He said he had a mission proposal for our village."

"Follow me," Charles said. He led the two Sannin into an office four doors down the hallway. "Joe, those two you told me about are here."

"Ah, thank you. Stay with us during the meeting. This will affect you more than me." Joe watched as Charles closed the door behind them. "Have a seat everyone."

Tsunade and Jiraiya sat down in the offered chairs, but Charles stayed standing. "I'll stand," he replied and leaned back against the wall.

Joe nodded. "Suit yourself. Well, down to business. The reason I asked you here, Hokage-sama, is that I am worried for the wellbeing of my granddaughter. You see, she was attacked seven weeks ago and slipped into a coma for six weeks. She was just released into her father's care this past week. I fear her life will be in more danger before this whole ordeal is over with. While she was in a coma, it came to light that she will inherit my company. Before she can learn what that entails, she must get thru this trail, alive and well."

"Trial?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes trial," Charles said. "My daughter and one other are the only two who can place those six boys at the warehouse where she was kept. The other witness, though, is also going to stand trial as being an accessory to the attempted murder. The jury would see his testimony as a way to get a lighter sentence, but Samantha's testimony can either help him or hurt him."

"You don't know?" Jiraiya asked, surprised.

"She hasn't told us what happened to herself, but the state attorney managed to get a recorded testimony to go over. He won't use that unless he absolutely has too, so she'll have to testify," Joe said.

"The only reason we weren't in there listening is because when we were anywhere near her, she wouldn't say a word and the attorney won't let us here the recording," Charles added.

"What exactly happened to her?" Tsunade asked quietly.

Charles sighed and pushed off the wall. He walked over to the desk and picked up a folder. "In this are the doctor reports and all other information you need to know on this case and pertaining to my daughter. If you want to know more about her than what is in the folder, you'll have to ask her yourself. I don't think that will be today though."

The Sannin looked thru the folder and suppressed their reactions. "This was cruel to do to her," Jiraiya whispered. It echoed of the walls of the otherwise silent room.

"Yes and if my movements had not been hindered, we would have been on the other side of the **state** before this could have happened," Charles said, glaring at Joe.

"Must you bring that up again? And now of all times?" Joe asked irritably.

"You were using your own **granddaughter** to extend your business further south! She is **my daughter** and **I** will decide what is best for her, **not you**!" he roared at the older man. Joe didn't respond. Charles turned to the Sannin. "You will be paid 22,204,000 yen. Pick as many shinobi as you want. We can and will pay more if needed."

Tsunade stood up, then Jiraiya followed suit. "Alright, this meeting is over. We have heard enough and accept your offer," Tsunade replied.

"Good. We will send someone to come after your shinobi by plane in three days. You'll be dealing with me from here on out because **Joe** will be in Chicago."

"Fine, then we will be on our-" she started.

"_Dad? Are you here?_" they heard a soft feminine voice say.

Charles frowned for a moment, then looked at the door forcing a realistic smile. "_I'm in the office._"

The door came open to reveal a young woman. She stood at five feet six inches tall with mid-back length, chestnut brown hair and blue-green eyes. She wore long black pants, a short-sleeved grey shirt that said 'Unlucky in Life', and flat black boots. The teenager observed the two shinobi and lowered her head. "_I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were in a meeting. I'll just talk to you later._" She made to leave them in peace.

"Samantha," her father said in Japanese.

She looked up at him questioningly. "Hai, otousan?" she asked.

"Our guests are shinobi. You ojiisan and I are hiring others from their village to be bodyguards for you," he told her gently.

Anger and disbelief flashed momentarily in her eyes, but only the shinobi noticed. "Is this what you think is best, otousama?" she questioned, making Charles wince at her cold tone. Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Your otousan and I have decided that this is the best thing to do for you," Joe said. Samantha looked at him.

She sighed quietly. "Okay, Josph-ojiisama." Joe's eyes filled with concern. "Forgive me, I have yet to introduce myself," she said to the Sannin. She bowed slightly to them. "My name is Samantha Lamb, but most people call me Sam. Among other things," she added mysteriously.

'Other things?' Tsunade thought. She smiled at the girl. "Well, Miss Sam, my name is Tsunade and this is Jiraiya. I am the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. The Kage is the leader of a village. Jiraiya is my friend and former teammate. I hope we can help keep you safe," she said.

Sam smiled back at her. Charles cleared his throat. "Sam, why don't you wait outside the door with you ojiisan. After I finish talking, you can escort our guests back to their ride in Garage A." Sam nodded and left with her grandfather.

"What is it that you have to say top us that they couldn't hear?" Tsunade asked.

"Listen. My daughter has never been fully mentally stable, and it has been worse since the attack. While she acts nice and like everything is fine most the time, she has been more violent as of late. Be careful because she landed one of her previous bodyguards in the hospital with broken ribs right after **she** got out of the hospital. I should have told you before, but I thought you could handle it."

Tsunade glared at him. "We will not break the contract, but do not withhold information again."

Charles nodded. He opened the door and left with Joe following behind him. Sam pushed off the wall smiling.

"If you'll just follow me, I'll show you to the garage," she told them.

_**End Flashback**_

"…and she showed us out. That was all that happened," Jiraiya finished.

All the teenage shinobi were staring at him. The senseis were thoughtful. Kurenai looked at the time. "You should probably all rest and think more on this in the morning." Asuma and Kakashi agreed with her.

"Alright. See of you in the morning," Jiraiya responded and went to his room. He closed the door behind his and went to sit by the window. 'I have no right to tell them the rest of that.'

_**Flashback**_

Jiraiya looked at her strangely. "Why are you trying to force that smile?" he questioned her.

Sam's eye widened. "What are you…?"

"Don't deny it. I can tell. You've been forcing that smile since you first came in."

Her smile dropped like a stone. Her shoulders sagged, and her eyes filled despair. "I've been forcing that smile since I woke up and **no one** but you and my aniki noticed." A tear ran down her cheek. "People are so blind to the needs of those around them, only thinking of themselves. I guess that a general weakness of human kind."

Jiraiya walked over to her and brought his hand to Sam's face. Her body tensed and her eyes closed tight. He frowned at this and wiped away the tear. Sam opened her eyes and stared at him. "You shouldn't cry," he said softly, looking her in the eyes.

Sam relaxed and smiled slightly. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

"For what?" he inquired.

"For saying that." Sam walked down the hall, then turned down another corridor. "You know. My otousan thinks that I'll be killed by someone before the trial? It's actually much more likely that I'll kill whoever comes after me. A part of him knows that and is trying to prevent me from spilling blood. See, so the bodyguard thing works both ways." She chuckled miserably. "I suggest you remember that."

She walked to a dark door and opened it. There were five different vehicles in the parking spaces. At the far side of the wall was the Santa Fe. "My otousan had me see a psychologist a few years ago. They said I had spilt personality disorder. I don't believe that though. The psychologist was a quack. I just know I don't have a mental disorder." She sighed and was silent for a few moments.

"I might be getting to personal, but could you tell us about any nicknames you might have picked up? Calling you Sam-san or Lamb-san sounds too odd," Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade hit him upside his head. "You shouldn't ask that."

Sam giggled. "No, it's alright. Well I do have one. You see, when I was ten, my great-uncle took me and my brother to Japan for the summer. While I was there, I met three boys from the Sohma family. There names are Shigure, Ayame, and Hatori. My brother ran into them with me right behind him. We had gotten lost and they helped up get back to our great-uncle. We became friends even though they were six years older then me. Well, they had the same problem with my name, so Shigure-kun and Aya-kun took it upon themselves to come up with a nickname for me. They argued for a week over which of two names would be better for me. It was so funny to watch them try and prove to each other which one was better." She gave a genuine smile at the memory.

"What were the names?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"They were 'tenshi' and 'mitsukai'," she replied and laughed.

"But they mean the same thing," Jiraiya stated.

"That's why it was so funny."

"Which one did they end up picking?" Tsunade questioned, amused.

"Hatori-kun finally told Aya-kun that Tenshi would be better for me, so Aya-kun went along with it. So they call me Tenshi-chan all the time now." The Santa Fe pulled up beside them. "Well, I guess this is good-bye for now. I hope you have a safe trip home, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama."

"Please, just call me Jiraiya."

"Jiraiya-san?"

He smiled in return. "Sayonara, Tenshi-chan." He smirked.

Tsunade hit the back of his head again. "Sayonara, Tenshi-chan."

She gave them a sincere smile. "Sayonara." She watched as they got in the Santa Fe and were driven away. She turned back toward the house and quietly reentered.

_**End Flashback**_

'What will have happened to you by now, Tenshi-chan?' was Jiraiya's last conscious thought until the sun rose.

Meanwhile, Back Downstairs Right After Jiraiya Left

"I wonder what was wrong with him," Naruto commented on Jiraiya's swift exit.

"He probably wants to think more about the mission, dobe," Sasuke said.

"Don't call me that Teme!" Naruto yelled.

"Don't call him teme, Naruto-baka!" Sakura and Ino screamed.

"Shut up, all of you," Kakashi said.

Hinata looked up at Kurenai. "I don't think that he was thinking of the mission itself, Kurenai-sensei," she said softly during the commotion.

Kurenai looked at the young Hyuuga. "How do you come to that conclusion?"

The two had gained the attention of Gai, Shikamaru, Neji, Asuma, Tenten, Gaara, Kiba, and Shino. "Well," Hinata started, "I think he might have left out something at the end when he was talking. He looked conflicted for a moment, like he was trying to find out if what he was going to say was really his to tell." Hinata blushed crimson as she noticed the nine people looking at her.

Kurenai smiled at her. "Maybe." To the others, "Alright, everyone, to there rooms. Now." Everyone went their separate ways, and either slept or watched the sky till morning.

* * *

Me'a: Well, that was longer than normal. I hope that makes up for not updating sooner.

Bob: It won't.

Me'a: BOB!

Bob: Alright, I'll go back to the closet.

Me'a: And stay there.

Neko: Okay…. Please REVIEW!!! Me'a is going crazy because she gets no reviews. She thinks you ignore her.

Me'a: sniffle But they do.

Neko: pets Me'a's head It's okay.

NEXT TIME:

Sam finally arrives at the house. What will happen?

Tune in next time for more!!!!


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT IS RECOGNIZABLE! I am using some characters from Fruits Basket in this chapter. I don't plan on using them later, just for the moment. All I own is some books, incense with burners, this crappy computer, and 8 cats. So you wouldn't get anything if you did sue. (So far, the spoken language is still in Japanese)

Neko: Me'a is in a good mood right now.

Me'a: hops in with a Santa hat on Yep!

Neko: backs away Did you have chocolate?

Me'a: Nope! COFFEE!

Neko: Oh no. BOB!

Bob: What?

Neko: Did you give her coffee?

Bob: She needed it after the all-nighters she pulled.

Neko: Go get her calmed down.

Bob: But..

Neko: NOW BOB!

On with the fic!

"blah" is Japanese

_"blah"_ is English

/blah/ is Old Egyptian

Chapter 5

* * *

10:00 A.M. the Next Morning

Jiraiya was looking out the screen door, having left everyone else to do what they wanted to inside. One Dodge Durango and one Chevy Silverado came rolling down the small road that led to the house. Jiraiya quietly exited the house and leaned against the doorframe. The trucks came to a stop three yards form the porch. He smiled when he saw Sam get out of the Durango. She smiled back at him. Three other boys and another girl got out of the Silverado, and Robert got out of the Durango's driver side.

"Hello, Jiraiya-san," she said, confusing the three boys. The other girl looked interested in the change of language.

"Hello Tenshi-chan. I take it by their expressions that the boys don't understand us? The girl does though, which is good. I take it, also, that Nathan isn't here today. Interesting clothes, chibi tenshi." He took in her appearance with genuine interest. She had donned a dark gray shirt with a red and gold dragon design, long black pants with blue skulls stitched onto them, arm warmers going to her elbow with small handcuffs attached, boots that were barely seen, and a necklace with a small sword with a thorny vine going up the length of the blade and a rose at the base of the hilt. Her hair had been left down and there was a chain around her waist with a strange eye symbol attached. Her neck was still wrapped in bandages.

Sam blushed. "No, they don't know what we are saying. I like my clothes," she replied and pouted.

Jiraiya laughed. Kurenai came out the front door and paused. Sam looked up at her. Kurenai felt like this girl was trying to analyze her. She smiled and Kurenai frowned.

"Forgive my manners, my name is Samantha Lamb. The man next to me is my older brother, whom you have already met. The other boys are Ben Spivey, Josh Bleifus, and Co'Darrian Johnson. The girl beside me is Penny McCarty," she said as she bowed then pointed to each person as she introduced them.

Penny bowed. "Hello," she said with a noticeable accent.

"So you speak as well." Jiraiya commented.

"Sam has been teaching me," Penny told him.

Kurenai relaxed slightly. "I am Yuhi Kurenai. It's nice to meet you, Lamb-san."

"Please call me Sam, Yuhi-san. There is not much need to be formal if we are going to be living together," she said to the older woman.

"Well if we have no need to be formal, then call me Kurenai, Sam-san" Sam smiled in reply.

_"Sam, who are these people and why are they here?" _Josh asked in concern.

Sam smiled sadly._ "My father thought that it would be best if I had bodyguards so nothing would happen to me before the trial. He hired them for that, so don't worry about it,"_ she told him. She turned back toward Kurenai, so she didn't see the worried glances between the boys.

Kurenai opened the screen door and leaned into the house. "Gai, Kakashi, Asuma, Kankuro! Our charge is here!" she called.

Sam looked insulted, and Robert smirked. The four that Kurenai called plus Naruto, Neji, and Gaara got to the door in time to her smack her brother on the back of the head. Most of them watched her in interest, while Neji watched the four strangers. Sam noticed this and gave a very small, sad smile.

"Perhaps we should save the introductions until everyone is in the same place?" she suggested causing Neji and Gaara to look at her instead. She glanced back at her friends. _"Go on ahead. I'll come inside in a minute."_ Robert, Ben, Josh, and Co'Darrian went inside reluctantly. All but Sam, Penny, Jiraiya, Neji, and Gaara went inside as well. Jiraiya looked at the two younger males, then back at Sam and her friend. "I just have to grab my bag. I don't want to leave it out here, so I be just a minute." Jiraiya nodded and went inside as well. Sam walked to the back of the Durango and grabbed her backpack out. As she walked toward them, Neji's eyes narrowed slightly at her.

"So, you are the one that we have to protect?" Neji demanded.

"Hey, pal. She didn't ask for this. So you had better drop the attitude," Penny almost growled at him.

"Penny, it's alright." She looked up at him. "You would be correct. I am really sorry if my family or I have inconvenienced any of you in any way," she whispered and bowed to them.

Neji raised an eyebrow. 'She has good manners if nothing else,' he thought.

Gaara glanced at Neji for a mere moment, before sending some sand to encase Sam's wrist and gently pulled her toward the house. Sam's arm stiffened and gripped her bag tighter. Penny sent Gaara a murderous glance and started toward him. Sam looked at Gaara and stared him in the eye. After a few tense moments, she relaxed and said to Penny, "He doesn't mean any harm by it." She took Penny's arm and walked up the stairs. They stopped in front of the boys. The sand retuned Gaara's gourd.

Sam had been about to speak when Neji and Gaara both felt inhuman yet human chakra in the forest. Neji pulled Sam, who pulled Penny, behind him and activated his Byakugan. Sam kept her eyes on the trees, even when Penny gave her a questioning look. She concentrated on the power she had sensed. She gave her bag to Penny, who had started to watch the woods as well, and undid the chain around her waist. She separated a long chain from a short chain and let the long one fall to her feet. She held the short chain and the eye pendent between her clasped hands and asked for protection in so soft a voice that not even Neji heard her. Gaara felt a flare of what felt similar to chakra behind him and glanced at the girls. He saw the eye glow gold, but look to the door when he heard it bang open.

Sam was quiet now and the glow faded. Robert watched her as the other looked to the woods in confusion. She nodded at him. An animal appeared out of the trees. A black lion growled at them.

"A lion?" Penny asked in confusion.

"A summon," Sam corrected in a whisper. Everyone heard them. "But who...?" As she started to ask, the lion spotted her and came at her. She stood there calmly, and Robert stopped everyone from acting.

"Why are you stopping us? It's our job to protect her!" Naruto yelled, but he was ignored.

Robert watched her. He saw her hands clasped together with parts of the chain hanging from her hands. The lion leapt up at her. She closed her eyes again and breathed deeply.

/Invoke,/ she whispered, soft but clear. Robert relaxed as four feet away from its target, the lion hit a barrier that crackled gold. Kakashi and Gai glanced at their charge to see her completely calm. _"Co'Darrian?"_

_"Yes? What do you need?"_ the dark-skinned boy asked with a smirk.

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. _"Do you think you can restrain him somehow?"_

He frowned. "_I could, but why would you want to restrain him? Why not just kill him?"_ Sam glared at him. "_Alright, alright. No need to try and be intimidating."_ The lion was on the ground when he started muttering in another language. Vine came out of the ground and restrained the beast.

Before Neji could stop them, Sam and Penny were down the stairs and walking toward the lion. Gaara's sand went toward them but hit another barrier. Ben and Josh looked on more nevous than the others as Sam knelt by the lion.

Robert glared at them. "_Give a little credit, she knows what she is doing."_

Gaara and Neji stood as close to the girls as the barrier would allow. "You really didn't want to attack me, now did you?" she whispered to the beast softly. It struggled against the bonds, trying to break free. /Horas, though Seth my family serves, please grant me this favor. Release this beast from it's holder's grasp. Free him so that he may leave in peace. I ask this of you, as a servant of the gods, please do me this favor,/ she said as she placed two fingers from the hand holding the eye on the lion's forehead. He stopped moving and the black in his fur slowly faded to a golden-brown color. He opened his eyes and look at her. The vines disappeared back into the ground. The lion shook his large head, then stared at her.Sasuke was halfway into forming a hand-seal when the big cat nudged her hand with his head. The cat licked her hand, turned around, and ran into the forest. Its energy signature soon disappeared.

Kurenai has been about to lecture her when Jiraiya spoke. "You realize how dangerous that stunt was, don't you?"

Sam looked at him and nodded. She turned her gaze to Co'Darrian. _"That was **not** a natural summon. All four of us know it,"_ she said.

_"Someone has raised the stakes impossibly high in this already dangerous game,"_ he replied.

_"Moron,"_ Robert said.

_"You take this as a game?"_ Penny question astonished.

_"You take this far too lightly. This is nor has it ever been a game. You know that. Someone dangerous has made themselves known and we have to find out who it is. How long will it take with our contacts to find out who all can force a summon like that?"_ Sam replied.

_"Wait, wait a minute. You guys know what's going on?"_ Ben asked.

Sam was silent for a moment. _"We should take this inside."_

_"Yeah,"_ Penny agreed.

"You know why that lion attacked," Kakashi stated having followed the conversation with little trouble.

Sam was about to reply when Josh interrupted. _" Listen, Sam. I'm going to take Ben and Co'Darrian home, and I'll get Co'Darrian to explain everything we need to know on the way. I'll talk to you later, and be careful,"_ He said and hugged her. She stiffly returned the hug and told the other two good-bye. They left everyone else in silence.

Robert watched as Sam rubbed her forehead, trying to stop in impending headache. _"We have a lot of explaining to do, you know what I mean?"_

Sam sighed._ "I know, I know."_

* * *

Me'a: Well how's that? Not to bad if I do say so myself.

Bob: Of coarse YOU would say that.

Me'a: Teary eyed Neko-chan! Bob is being mean!

Neko: sigh Read and review please.

Ja ne!


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING THAT IS RECOGNIZABLE! All I own is some books, incense with burners, this crappy computer, and 8 cats. So you wouldn't get anything if you did sue. There will be quiet a few flashbacks in this chapter, but bear with me. It is necessary. (So far, the spoken language is still in Japanese)  
Me'a: So this is Chapter 6 of this story.  
muffled sounds from the closet  
Neko: looks at closet oddly Me'a?  
Me'a: looks up Yes?  
Neko: What's in the closet?  
Me'a: Nothing to worry about at the moment. Onward!  
Bob: Riiiiiiight... 

"blah" is Japanese

'blah' is English

[blah is thoughts

/blah/ is Old Egyptian

""blah"" is Latin

Chapter 6

* * *

Still on the porch

"Let's go inside. I'll explain everything there," Sam said softly. She walked up the stairs with Penny, Neji, and Gaara right behind her. She picked up her bag and chain, then went inside.

10 minutes later

Sam sat on one of the couches, her shoes by the door. Her legs were on the couch, crossed in front of her Indian style. Her bag was on the floor in front of 'her' couch with the chain inside of it. She said not a word as she waited for everyone else to get comfortable.

"Alright, we're here. Now what was with all of that outside?" Kiba demanded.

"Kiba," Kurenai said warningly.

Sam sighed. "Well where should I begin? Perhaps, to understand everything, I should tell you how I met Ben, Josh, and Co'Darrian." Everyone was silent. "It was six months after I originally moved here..."

Flashback

A younger version of Sam sat in a swing by herself. All the other kids were playing with there friends and having a good time in general. Sam just watched them with black eyes. [I wish I had friends, she thought with a slight smile.  
'Hey!' a boy shouted. Sam looked up in surprise and saw the boy coming towards her with another boy in tow.

'Did you want to use the swing?' she asked getting up from her spot.

'No. I wanted to ask if you wanted to come play tag with us. It's just three of us today, and we wanted to play with four. I saw you over here by yourself, so I thought you might want to join us,' the boy replied.

Sam just stared at him for a minute before smiling shyly. 'Sure, I'll play. Thank you for asking. By the way, my name is Samantha Lamb, but I am mostly called Sam.'

'Well Sam, my name is Alex Bouyet and this is Ben Spivey . Come on. I'll introduce you to Josh,' he replied, grabbing her wrist. Sam let herself be dragged over to a grassy area. A taller boy in the same class was waiting there. 'Hey, Josh! This is Sam Lamb. She agreed to play with us,' Alex said.

Josh looked at her for a moment, then smiled at her. 'Hi. I'm Josh Bleifus. Thanks for agreeing.'

Sam blushed slightly. 'It's no problem. Thank you for letting me play.'

'Why were you by yourself, anyway?' Ben asked.

Sam looked at the ground. 'You mean you haven't noticed?' Alex asked his friend.

'Noticed what?' the shortest boy asked.

'Noticed that she is always alone. You have her in the same class and you never noticed?' Alex asked astonished.

Ben looked sheepish. 'No. I never really noticed that she was in the same class as me. The teachers never ask her anything, or ever call her name out loud on the roll. I guess I didn't give it any thought before. I'm sorry,' he apologized.

'It's alright. I've gotten used to it anyway. So are we going to play tag or not?' she asked, changing the subject.

Josh nodded. 'I say that Ben should be it.'

'Yeah,' Alex agreed.

'What? Why?'

'Because you were mean to Sam,' Josh reasoned.

Ben muttered something inaudible.

'I don't mind being it,' Sam said shyly.

'No, it's Ben's turn anyway,' Alex reassured.

'Okay,' she replied hesitantly.

End Flashback

"...Three months later, I met Co'Darrian while we were on the playground. We've been friends ever since."

"I met Sam three years later. We had a lot in common, but still had a lot of differences so we became friends very easily," Penny stated. "I have to say though, Co'Darrian is the one that I don't know how to feel about. Josh is trustworthy. Ben is a backstabbing bastard. Sam is wary, but loyal to those she trusts. Co'Darrian is a wild card."

"What makes you think that?" Kakashi asked.

Penny snorted. Sam sent her a glare. "Co'Darrian has Multiple Personality Disorder," she said almost hesitantly.

"Really?" Kurenai asked.

"Yeah, he's a sweet person though." Sam smiled.

"Sweet? This coming from someone who's been at the receiving end of his temper. Some of his personalities are VERY violent. It doesn't help that some of the violent ones don't like Sam for some reason or other," Penny informed them.

"Every one of his personalities are better to me than some people at that school," Sam replied to her snappishly.

"What do you mean by that?" Asuma asked.

"Perhaps now is the best time to also explain how I know how to use a summon. Well, it was two years later that thing started to get really strange. Josh and I were twelve at the time, and Ben and Co'Darrian were eleven.." She held up her hand to to stop the incoming question. "Josh was born late in the year, so he started late. I had to retake my first year because of the differences in American and German educational expectations. In any case, it was after school one day, I had been delayed in the classroom and missed the bus. Well, no one picked up the phone at home when I called so I had to walk home. About halfway home, some boys from school saw me by myself and started taunting me. It was their most favorite game, because I never did anything about it. When they got tired of taunting, they threw rocks, sticks, and whatever else they could pick up." She stopped for a moment. "They started shouting things like that I didn't belong here, I should go back to where I came from, and other things."

"You don't have to tell us this part, if you don't want to," Hinata said quietly.

Neji was about to say something to Hinata when Sam smiled. "I doesn't bother me to talk about it. What does kill can make you stronger, after all. Plus, it will help you to understand how I first met one of my summons."

"You certainly are an interesting person, Lamb-san," Asuma said.

Sam looked at him with her head tilted. "It's Sam, and how so?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Well chibi Tenshi, you are telling this personal story to a room full of people you don't even know the names of."

Naruto hit Jiraiya **hard** on the back of his head. "Don't give her a nickname like that, Pervy Sage!"

"Don't call me that gaki!"

I'm sorry about Jiraiya-sama. He can be weird and a pervert at times, but he shouldn't have given you that nickname. I'm sorry if he...," Sakura babbled.

"He didn't give me that name," she said point blank. Everyone but Sam, Robert, Penny, and Jiraiya went still.

"Well then, um... who **did**?" Ino asked uncertainly

Penny laughed slightly. Three young men from the Sohma family gave it to her. They are what, six years older than you?" she asked.Sam nodded in return.

"I mentioned it when we first met, and Jiraiya-san has taken to calling me that." She smiled slightly. "I really don't mind if any of you call me Tenshi. It's just a name after all." She shrugged.

"I take it that you something of shinobi?" She nodded. "Since you already know Jiraiya, I'll start the introductions. I am Sarutobi Asuma. My genin team consists of Yamanaka Ino("Hello"), Nara Shikamaru("Whatever"), and Akimichi Chouji," he said and pointed to his genin.

"You know my name, and my genin team is Hyuuga Hinata("Hello"), Aburame Shino(nods), and Inuzuka("Yo")," Kurenai said.

"My name is Temari, and these are my brothers Kankuro and Gaara,"the wind expert said. Sam nodded and **smiled** at Gaara. Gaara stared at her as she shifted her attention to Kakashi.

"My turn? Okay then. My name's Hatake Kakashi, and my genin are Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura("Hi"), and Uzumaki Naruto(grins)." Her eyes stopped on Naruto. She stared him in the eye until he had to hold back a shiver. She smiled slightly at him then turned to the last adult male.

Gai flashed her his infamous smile and struck his 'good guy' pose. "Greetings. My name is Maito Gai. My youthful team is made up of Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee. Together with my fellow ninja, we will protect your burning Flames of Youth!" His teeth sparkled as he smiled at her.

"Gai-sensai," Lee said, clenching his fist, "I will so my personal best to not disappoint you on this mission. If I do, I will run 500 laps around Konoha when we return!"

Sam stared at them with wide eyes. 'What the hell...?'

Tenten smiled. "Don't worry about them. They act like this all the time," she told the shell-shocked girl.

Sam shook her head. "Anyway, we are getting completely off topic."

"Then by all means continue," Kakuro said slyly.

Sam gave him an odd look before continuing. "Well, as the boys were yelling at me, one of them grabbed my arm. He then wrapped his other arm around my neck." She paused. "I completely and totally freaked out when he did that. So while he held me, I screamed and hoped someone, **anyone**, would her me. At some point, he put his hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming anymore. After I bit his hand, I heard the other boys start screaming bloody murder.The one that was holding me let go and ran. I looked over at the other four boys, and I saw them running as well, only their pants legs had been torn. In the direction they were running from, I saw a large white wolf with fabric in his teeth. He just kept growling until they were gone." She smiled in a distracted manner at the thought. "I guess, looking back on it, I should have been at least a little scared of him, But I wasn't. He came over to me and looked over me. He followed me home, then disappeared. He comes around when I'm in danger or I call for him.He's my summon," she finished.

"What did you name him?" Jiraiya asked.

"Kumori, because he always seemed like my shadow," she replied.

"So that lion was a summon?" Kiba asked.

"It's what is normally called a forced summon," Robert replied, "which is different from a natural summon in several important ways. The most important difference is that a natural summon is bonded to the summoner and comes when called willingly. A forced summon is brought by a spell or, more rarely, a jutsu."

"You seem to know a lot about this," Asuma said.

"Of course they do," Penny said.

"It's our family's tradition. Every person has had at least one summon, or so we were told," Sam replied.

"Lamb or Volpendesta?" Asuma asked.

"Neither, right Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked with a smirk.

"You actually knew that?" she asked.

"You're not related to our client?" Kakuro asked in surprise.

* * *

Me'a: Sorry about the delay. My little step-brother hid all the stuff I had written. I'll try to update once every one to two weeks.

Neko: She really is trying.

Please Review.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everyone.

Hi everybody. Sorry I haven't updated in quite some time. Things have come up, including my starting University. I know that we are not suppose to place an authors note as a chapter, but I am having to retype my work, so I will try to have a real chapter up soon. I have NOT given up on this story, and actually have much of it written but not typed. I am sorry to say that I will be disabling Anonymous Reviews due to one that I received. I can take criticism, but when a person only reads part of one chapter, and thinks the whole story is based completely on a PROLOGUE I tend to get upset. The person I am referring to reviewed the first chapter, insulting me and my intelligence. Yes, I know that my prologue was not as well written as it could have been, but I was only beginning the story. Surely it was not bad enough to have warranted such harshness. As to the "NOT NejiXGarra" I had before, my first reviewer did ask if it would be one. I am not going to lie, it did cross my mind at one point, but I am NOT a romance writer. Any that does appear will not be explained in much detail as I am not all that good with it. I do like the pairing, but I know my limits as well, and know I would not be able to write such a pairing very well. My characters, contrary to what the same review accused me of, are not meant to be Mary Sues. The Naruto cast is not going to suddenly fall in love with the OCs. Rather, they will start out as maybe a rocky type friendship, and if it goes that way, develop some feelings for each other. If they do, that point is a long way off. None of the Naruto cast will fight over the OCs. I am not making this from a "teeny tiny fantasy of you being Kira and they liking you". While there is some aspects of my one personality in one of the characters, she also has characteristics from several of my friends. Kira will not show up again in the story, unless she is talked about. Her role in the story is basically over. If it seems that I have disrespected the Naruto characters, I apologize for that was not my intention. This is the first fanfic that I have managed to write more than a few pages on, and it is still a work in progress, so it will get better over time. I do not write for the reviews, it is only that they show me that people are actually reading this, and that gives me, as an author, great pride to know that you do. So review or don't, I don't really care. If you are going to criticize me, than AT LEAST do it in a semi-polite manner rather than acting like you are so better than me because of how the story starts or goes. Anyone who gives me another rude review will be ignored completely in the future should they review again. I thank any one who is still with me for their extreme patience for wait as long as you have. And to my first NON RUDE reviewers, I thank you very much, and should you wish to give an opinion or idea, I will consider them carefully. I will try to have the next chapter up this weekend.

Mea.

here is the first few lines of the next chapter.

Silence stretched over the room for several moments. Everyone looked between the two siblings. Sam sighed heavily.

"We're not related by blood, no," she replied. "Our 'mom' and 'dad' took my brother and me in when our mother and father were killed."


End file.
